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August 12, 2005
Seraphic Evenings with Robert & Karen
I will continue my tale of washroom woes after the fast. Sorry, but I really need to recharge my batteries.
Meanwhile, I'm writing The Hebrew Kid and Wyatt Earp . Five pages a day. It's executing beautifully. Originally, I was writing The Hebrew Kid and Buffalo Bill and it was like pulling teeth. I could not make the story work. Sometimes, the gears just do not mesh. Characters do not go where you want them to go; they do not do what you want them to do. I ended up dumping eighty-eight pages in the trash. I got depressed. Figured I had no talent anymore and it was time to go to trade school, learn to be a welder, drink beer, drive a truck, join a corrupt union, smoke Camels.
Then I took a deep breath, opened a few obscure books and learned that Wyattt Earp is buried in a Jewish cemetery in Colma, California.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
I knew immediately that I had the next Hebrew Kid book. I'm so happy now because when I sit down to write the words just pour out and the only trouble I have is putting in too much story, too much detail. Every good film and book has three plots going on at the same time. You juggle these three plots in order of importance and in the end you resolve them so that the moral landscape is put back in a way that makes some kind of ethical sense. The trick is to keep those three plots in the air at the same time. If you fumble even one of those subplots--for even one moment--bam! it's over.
At night Karen and I are furiously editing the next book we're publishing, The Shidduch Diaries by Michael Levin. It's a delightful novel, a warm and funny and light-hearted peek into the current dating rituals among the Orthodox. It's appropriate for the observant, it's romantic, it's true and it has an ending that is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. We'll be publishing The Shidduch Diaries in the spring.
Seraphic Press has entered into an agreement with acclaimed graphic artist Neil Kleid. Neil is writing and drawing Migdal David, The Tower of David, a graphic novel about a learning disabled teenager in an Orthodox family. It's an incredible story of faith and brotherhood through adversity. In the next few days, Seraphic Secret will publish a sneak preview of the first few pages of this amazing book.
By the way, we are very big on graphic novels and are looking to do more of them.
Meanwhile, Mazal Tov. The NRA has a new president. She's a lady and she is, yes Jewish. Thanks to Toronto Pearl for sending me the article.
And finally, this article about one of the greatest writers in America today, Mark Helprin. Hat tip to Azriel for bringing this to my attention.
And some more clear thinking from the great Victor Davis Hanson, about why we should believe everything the Islamic barbarians threaten. Again, thanks to Azriel, who can always be counted on.
A Good Shabbos and a meaningful fast to all our wonderful Seraphic Secret readers. Your generosity gives us a measure of nechama, comfort, and for this we are eternally grateful.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at August 12, 2005 09:25 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
Robert, not sure I appreciate the reference to "pulling teeth", but I love hearing about the process of writing and developing a book. Looking forward to great Seraphic material in the future. A nice Jewish girl president of NRA?...sounds like the makings of a movie...I hear Barbra Streisand's not too busy right now.
Posted by: randi at August 12, 2005 11:37 AM
>
You mean TWO people sent you this article? Man, I guess you have all your cards on the table! I'm enjoying Helprin's book and so would everyone of the other readers here I bet.
Posted by: Jake at August 12, 2005 12:02 PM
I happen to be from a small midwestern town who's only claim to fame happens to be that it is the birthplace of wyatt Earp....so if you want some pics, let me know. :)
Posted by: Jean at August 12, 2005 01:12 PM
I had heard about Wyatt Earp being buried out here but I have never gone to visit. I do find it very interesting.
Posted by: Jack at August 12, 2005 01:15 PM
What's really nice about this post, Robert, is that you're giving us an inside look at the difficulty of writing a book. People might assume that you, an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, a writer of fine feature films, should have no difficulty writing pages endlessly. I'm guessing that people assume it comes rather easy to you -- after all, this is how you make your living.
But you are human, like any other struggling writer, when the words don't flow, the images don't come, the action is fragmented. You tossed away what you'd started -- you didn't try to salvage and remodel it -- and now you're writing something that's more natural, that's flowing...that you're pleased with, and no doubt that we'll be pleased with!
Posted by: Pearl at August 12, 2005 01:19 PM
Jake: My apologies. Double hat tip to you! My brain cells are dying way too fast.
Posted by: Robert at August 12, 2005 01:44 PM
Jean: So you must be from Monmouth, Ill. If you have material that is not available on the web or in any of the books that are piled high as Everest on my desk, well, I would be forever grateful. Is Wyatt Earp a big thing in Monmouth? Do people know that he's buried in a Jewish cemetery?
Posted by: Robert at August 12, 2005 01:57 PM
Jack: Wyatt Earp is fascinating. And the Jewish connection is very real and you'll read all about it in The Hebrew Kid and Wyatt Earp.
Posted by: Robert at August 12, 2005 01:59 PM
Pearl:
Nothing about writing comes easy to me. It's just hard work. It takes discipline. It's all about making decisions and ignoring so-called inspiration. If you wait for inspiration, you get--surprise--blank pages. My trash can is filled with drafts of stories that, for one reason or another, did not execute. You have to know when to burn the house down.
Posted by: Robert at August 12, 2005 02:04 PM
I certainly have the utmost admiration for creative writers. I always dreaded having to do that in school. I would rather write a research paper. I am a math/science kind of girl.
So glad your new book is flowing better than the Buffalo Bill one did. It must feel great.
The Shidduch Diaries sounds great!
Good Shabbos to you and Karen.
Posted by: Stacey at August 12, 2005 08:51 PM
Stacey:
Yes, you are a math/science girl. I was just reading your blog and I have to admit I kind of got lost. You got all Ludwig Wittgenstein on me. Every writer I know wants to be able to write something else. The screenwriter wants to be a novelist. The novelist, a screenwriter. The science writer, a poet. And the poet, well he/she just wants to make some money! Me, I'm just happy that I can write a coherent sentence every once in a while.
Posted by: Robert Avrech at August 14, 2005 05:51 PM
Yasher Koach to you on writing these books for our kids! My 11 year old daughter really enjoyed the first one (she, like myself, really resonated to the Mama) Anyway, it's really great to have any amount of good Jewish literature out there, and I thought I'd just say so :-)
Posted by: proudmommy0f4 at August 16, 2005 10:53 AM
Proudmommy: I'm proud that you like the book and consider it appropriate. Keep an eye out for our next in the series: "The Hebrew Kid and Wyatt Earp." We look forward to hearing from you again.
Posted by: Robert at August 16, 2005 11:29 AM
I was born in Monmouth, but but spent quite a bit of time on the East coast before returning. Wyatt Earp is Monmouths only claim to fame. I know that the house is there and that once a year they do a reinactment of some sort. I am sorry to say that I have never attended. If you ever want to visit though, I always have a free bedroom. I will see about getting some pictures and such for you. Sorry I have been away for a while, but my grandson was here and he makes it rather hard to surf the net. :)
Posted by: copperhair at August 16, 2005 04:12 PM
You know, it just occured to me that I might have old pictures of the town square and such and there may be a host of things in the geneology room at the library. I also know that you can go to a board there and ask questions if you have any. I will see what I can dig up my my mom's old pics. I know there was an old pic with the hitching posts on the square.
Posted by: copperhair at August 16, 2005 04:15 PM
Bristol Riverside Theatre
120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, PA 19007
To whom it may concern:
The people who are interested in your website may take interest in this! If you have a message board on your site could you please post this information? Thank you for your time!
Bristol Riverside Theatre is proud to announce their world premiere production of
I Married Wyatt Earp. Book by Sheilah Rae and Thomas Edward West. Lyrics by Sheilah Rae; Music by Michele Brourman.
Who caused the famous shootout at the OK Corral? Why is Wyatt Earp buried in a Jewish cemetery? Why is an 81-year-old woman pointing a pistol at a 90-year-old woman? Answers to these and other provocative questions can be found in this new musical that tells what the women of Tombstone Arizona were doing while the bullets were flying. Based on a TRUE story, I MARRIED WYATT EARP follows young Josie Marcus from her pampered upper-middle-class life in San Francisco, to a touring Gilbert and Sullivan Troupe, to a scandalous and tawdry romance with the Sheriff of Tombstone. All of these adventures led her to the love of her life, Wyatt Earp, and the secret she though she would take to her grave-until the widow of Virgil Earp showed up at her door in 1943.
Where: Bristol Riverside Theatre
120 Radcliffe Street
Bristol, PA 19007
When: Previews: Tuesday, September 27, and Wednesday, September 28 at 8pm.
Opening Night: Thursday, September 29 at 8pm.
Other Performances: Friday, September 30 at 8pm, Saturday, October 1 at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday, October 2 at 3pm, Wednesday, October 5 at 2pm and 8pm, Thursday, October 6 at 8pm, Friday, October 7 at 8pm, Saturday, October 8 at 2pm and 8pm, Sunday, October 9 at 3pm, Wednesday, October 12 at 2pm and 8pm, Thursday, October 13 at 8pm, Friday, October 14 at 8pm, Saturday, October 15 at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday, October 16 at 3pm.
Tix/info: Call 215-785-0100 or on the web at www.brtstage.org Tickets are $34-$42. Substantial savings for groups of 10 or more.
For additional information, contact David J. Abers at 215-785-6664.
Kathleen D. Gaynor
Box Office/ Marketing Associate
Bristol Riverside Theatre
120 Radcliffe Street
Bristol, PA 19007
brtboxoffice@aol.com
Posted by: Kathleen D. Gaynor at September 23, 2005 08:09 AM